conceptual artist / richie tse / photography

After the First Opium War in China in the Qing Dynasty, Britain occupied Hong Kong for over 150 years. The Crown colonised Hong Kong and transformed the original fisherman wharf into a global financial centre which became a capitalist city.

However, when British and Chinese governments had agreed and decided to return the land of Hong Kong back to China, as a result many Hong Kong people emigrated to avoid the administration of Communist Party of China. This was influenced by the event of Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989, which was as awful as the Culture Revolution. Worrying that these tragedies would re-perform and fearing that their properties would be grabbed by the party. Therefore, people ran to other democratic countries such as Canada, America and New Zealand as well.

Basically, it is the result of a lack of communication and trust. Nevertheless, along with the economic reform, China’s significance in the world has turned into a new phenomenon that it has never had. Countless foreign companies have invested and started their businesses in Beijing and Shanghai, which provide a great geographic environment to trading corporations. The reputation of Communist Party of China is much better in 1980s. These remarkable changes have brought Hong Kong people’s confidence in China. For many of them (post-colonialist generation) who did not move abroad, educated under the British colony and experiencing the new Hong Kong under Chinese government, they are encouraged to learn Mandarin, simplified Chinese characters and China’s culture in order to enhance the connection and consolidate the economy and trading between Mainland and Hong Kong. Except for Hong Kong, many colleges in different countries have organised Chinese studies as a compulsory subject. This evidences the importance of Chinese around the globe.

Referring to the Communist Party in China, Chairman Mao Zedong is the most important figure in the party. He caused the Cultural Revolution, which is said a tragedy of China; yet there are many members in the party still sanctify Mao as a god since his death in 1979. His portraiture is hung in numerous assembly halls throughout China, as well as his picture on Chinese currency (RMB). In addition, many communist propaganda posters can be found with his images and its legendary slogan - Long Live The Philosophy of Mao Zedong.

These posters manifest the great Maoism (sometime together with USSR’s Marxiam and Leninism), which would lead Chinese people to a next level of quality of life and disseminating the brightest future they would have. These clues reflect that Maoism is a belief, an idolization and almost equivalent to a religion which further depict appreciations and respects for Mao Zedong.

“Long Live The Philosophy of Mao Zedong” is the name of the installation art in this small room, which is inspired from a propaganda slogan. It consists a variety of media such as photography, video, sound and Chinese calligraphy. Its subject matter is to examine the relationship between art and revolutionary weapon§. Through the repetitive calligraphy lines on walls with rhythmic caning sounds, it simulates a feeling of ‘a confession room’ in a church. This synergy of the stimulations forces us to perceive the synesthesia. Subsequently allowing us to introspect that who is our actual enemy and questioning about is the leadership of Mao Zedong worthwhlie for us to admire and honor.

§“[Our purpose is] to ensure that literature and art fit well in the whole revolutionary machine as a component part, that they operate as powerful weapons for uniting and educating the people and for attacking and destroying the enemy, and that they help the people fight the enemy with one heart and one mind.” Said Mao Zedong, May 1942.